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Friday, July 26, 2013

Diamondback Firearms Generation 2 DB380 Pictures Released

In May 2010, I got one of the first DB380s to hit the market. I reviewed it in detail and eventually added that review to the blog when I started blogging in May 2011. You can read the review here. I've been a fan of the Diamondback pistols since they first came out. They are small, thin, light and have performed really well for me as long as you follow a few simple rules about the ammunition you feed them. When I did have a problem with my DB380, it was resolved quickly and to my satisfaction.

It's now 3 years since the DB380 hit the market and earlier today were were treated to a sneak peek at the next generation of DB380 via Diamondback Firearms Facebook page. I have not been following the activity on the Diamondback Forum recently so this was a real surprise when I saw it earlier today.

The primary differences appear to be a new 360 degree grip texture, new pattern and longer slide serrations, and the 4 pin frame. Contrast the new with the original below. I think the new frame looks really good in FDE. Nice enough to make me consider possibly upgrading when these hit the stores. I'd love to see if they changed the trigger guard, but the only photos available have the Crimson Trace laser guard installed. I bet they didn't change it so existing Crimson Trace units would still fit the frame.

Love 'em or hate 'em, I admire the company for continuing to raise the bar with their products. I think the visible Generation 2 improvements will add to ease of use and "shoot-ability" of the pistol. I'm really interested in finding out of there were any changes made to the internal components that aren't visible in the teaser photos.

Will this one actually shoot? I bought two DB380s, both ZD serial numbers, and both were unreliable to a dangerous extent. The trigger would stop engaging, rendering the gun useless, but would then suddenly begin engaging again which is dangerous if it were still loaded.

I took the first one back and, thinking there was no way a company would produce a gun like that on a large scale, bought another one from a different store. Same thing.

Neither of them could get through a box of ammo without 10-15 FTE, FTF, FTFeeds. I cleaned the gun, lubed it, everything I could think of.

The Gen 1s were junk. I hope the Gen 2s fix things because the gun - when it worked - was pretty cool and felt great.

The first one, I was able to return it the next day with no problems, so I just did that. The gun shop said they'd send it back.

The second one, I just got rid of it. By that point, I'd seen online how many people had sent their guns back three and four times with not much difference. Even the people who were happy still said their gun had to be lubed and cleaned just right and with just the right ammo.

This was to be my carry gun. It's gonna be in my pocket and it needs to work when I need it to 100% of the time. I was not interested in a gun that was that picky for self defense.

Also, I've had to send back guns before (a Mossberg and a Weatherby). Neither experience was great and both times, I wound up wasting months and months of time just to trade them off in the end anyway.

So I'm kinda done on sending guns back. It's extremely time consuming and often futile. I try to give every gun manufacturer at least two times to make it right. The DB got two. Weatherby got sent back twice. Mossberg had parts replaced and got sent back once. If they can't get it right after two tries, that's it. I'm not wasting my time on a gun that doesn't work. Every minute it spends in the shop is a minute I don't have a CCW or hunting rifle. /rant

But I did LOVE the gun when it worked. If this new one proves reliable, I'll buy one.

I picked up my second-generation DB380 yesterday and took it to the range with three different types of ammunition. The very first shot jammed. As did the second... and the third. The last two fired without a problem though. Okay... its a new gun... needs to be broken in. Well it took me 3 hours to go through 250 rounds. That's one round about every minute and a half if you average it out (less actually). The gun seriously jammed that much, and on all three types of ammunition. I even cleaned it again halfway through. The gun not only jammed, but it would fail to feed the next round, not completely lock forward, and worst of all, about every three rounds the firing pin did not recess back into the slide causing the shell to catch on it and thus jam the gun. I still gave the gun the benefit of the doubt, so I cleaned it again, and left for a box of Winchester white box. One hundred rounds of that and it still jammed 3-4 times each clip. Before you say anything, it was NOTHING to do with my grip. The range has a Gen 1 rental and I personally put close to 500 round through it while trying to decide which gun to purchase. This particular gun did not jam once, fail to feed, or have any other problems... so it is not that I am "holding the gun wrong" as Diamondback suggests. Also hard to believe it's the ammo when I tried four different kinds all having the same problem. And when I cleaned it I did not over-oil anything, or damage any internal components (I know how to clean a gun). When I asked the owner of the range about the firing pin he became very concerned that if the pin was faulty, it could fire a round as it is being chambered and told me to stop using it at once and call Diamondback. I gave them the whole story and they said they would send me a shipping label (which I have not received, even after a second phone call). They also told me 4-6 weeks or more to get it back (once I'm able to finally send it that is). Kind of ridiculous that I paid $400 for a gun that I can't use for four to six weeks. If I wanted to wait four-six weeks I would have bought one four to six weeks from now. Like everyone says, a CCW needs to be reliable 100% of the time with ZERO exceptions. If my DB is not FLAWLESS when it returns I guarantee I will not give them a second chance. I'll TRY to sell it, but if I have to swallow the $400 I will just have to live knowing I learned an expensive lesson. Yeah, I'll be pissed, but at least once I buy a Glock 42, or pony up $600 for a Sig, I'll know I have a reliable weapon that I can count on if needed.

I've been there too with other small pistols. It seems like you either get a good one, or one that causes trouble. I've found that if you are willing to put up with the extra shipping back to the factory, calls to Customer Service, and waiting for the return of your pistol it will all eventually work out. It's just really frustrating for the consumer who expects stuff to work correctly right out of the box. Please keep us informed on how you make out with your DB380SL.

I reviewed the Gen2 when I was doing freelance projects for GunsAmerica. https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/diamondback-firearms-db380sl-new-gun-review/ I kept it and gladly paid my money after the review was done.